In Las Vegas, Coronavirus Job Losses Could Double Those of 2007-09 Recession

Fear of crowds, lack of funds, likely to hobble tourism for years

Under the new coronavirus stimulus package signed by President Trump, some workers may earn more money from unemployment benefits than what they earned before being laid off. WSJ’s Gerald F. Seib explains why that is the case. Photo: Anna Watts for The Wall Street Journal

By

Katherine Sayre

Hector Padilla lost his Las Vegas house after the 2007-09 recession. It could be happening all over again.

A 50-year-old former construction worker, Mr. Padilla helped build the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and Venetian casinos on the Strip, which has been a ghost town since shutting down amid the new coronavirus outbreak. He was laid off March 16 from his most recent job, as a building engineer at Meruelo Group’s Sahara casino. He spent several days on the phone, trying to find out why he hadn’t received an unemployment payment,...